1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a quick disconnect tooling mount having integral fluid and electrical lines of the type used with tooling nests having changeable tooling assemblies.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Hydraulic and pneumatic tooling units are widely used in industry at automated work stations and the like. The units are relatively heavy and do not lend themselves to convenient removal and replacement. Connection of the tooling nests to their related equipment is generally carried out by bolting the tooling nests to the equipment and subsequently attaching flexible fluid lines for operation of hydraulic or pneumatic equipment attached to the tooling nests. This exposes the flexible connections to severe shop environments, thereby reducing the reliability and life of the equipment. Additionally, no provision is made for electrical wiring which is required to transfer electrical signals to the tooling nests and associated attachments. Such an assembly is relatively complex, expensive, and requires extensive down time for tooling nest replacement.
The above shortcomings are addressed by the design of the present invention.